I tried to get into this, but I just can't. I can't really tell what the book is supposed to be and while sometimes that's intriguing, it just doesn't quite work here. Unfortunately it's not for me.

This book was so fascinating!! I was a little skeptical at the start ngl but I ended up really loving this!! Highly recommend <3

I really don’t like leaving bad reviews but this book just personally was not for me.

The characters annoyed me, especially the main character Ani. The writing just didn’t mesh with me. I liked the concept of the story but unfortunately it was just a miss.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Raglan Books.

Fantastic read! I loved the author's writing style and I'll definitely look for more books written by Carly Sasha Cohen.

Thank you NetGalley and Reglan Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the concept of a mystery set in a town founded by women, run by women, for women. This book touched on the concept of when feminism goes wrong, but not in a patriarchal "raise hell praise dail" sort of way, more like Barbie meets mystery town. Overall, I thought the narrative was well-written and the story fast-paced. I wish the mystery was a little spookier, but it gave "Truly Devious" vibes. I found the relationship between the main character, Ani, and Nick to be pretty flat and 1-dimensional, but I did enjoy all the Dr. Who references. There were some scenes in that I found myself becoming annoyed by certain characters, or it was very predictable, but overall, this book is a quick and likable read.

Thank you Netgalley for the free copy of the book! All opinions are my own.
Garden of Earthly Delights is a story set in an unusual town, Garden City which has history of powerful women and is mostly run by women. Ani is an aspiring journalist who lives with her stepmother and father and is best friends with Johnny. When someone starts vandalizing her town, and is determined to frame her, her journalistic instincts push her to investigate the events. She gets the opportunity to investigate with her crush Nick Lake where she discovers secrets of her town and her stepmother! The mystery of the vandalism was really interesting and we learn a lot of secrets and mysteries of Ani, her family and her town. I wish Nick's character was more in-depth and his romance with Ani was more fleshed out and not rushed or out of nowhere. I would have definitely loved to see more romance. Johnny's character was kind of stereotypical which I didn't like and his character was alright. I loved the twist and drama in the end. This book definitely has a good message and tells the real meaning of feminism. If you love Nancy Drew, mystery, weird secret societies with a good dose of feminism then Garden of Earthly Delights is for you!

The idea is really intriguing and it really drew me in. I was so excited to read something a little different and refreshing.

And it delivered that. If there’s one word to describe Garden of Earthly Delights, it’s “different”. But that’s where my issue comes in, this will a little too quirky for me.

The writing style felt very “direct” and focused on the strangest parts of the scene.

There’s a romance arc between Ani and Nick, a barista whose cafe she frequents just for a glimpse. The development for their relationship just felt very unjustified. We’re introduced to the characters and we blink and suddenly he’s so interested in her.

The mystery element itself is very fast paced and though some parts were predictable, it was still interesting.

I didn’t have any issues with the characters themselves. Ani reads like a typical teenager who wants her summer romance and yells at her parents. She grows like a teenager and is great to read about.

All things considered, it was a decent read. But there were a couple of things that made me uncomfortable. There’s some casual fat shaming and there’s a very stereotypical “gay best friend”.

Overall, I think there’s definitely an audience for this. I can imagine young teens resonating with Ani, and finding the mystery elements very intriguing. I personally didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either.

A powerful combination of Feminism and thriller, I found this book captivating and the premise was original. Given the current cultural climate this felt well timed and relevant. Cannot recommend it enough!

This curious mix of Mean Girls and feminism got me totally enthralled! In garden of earthly delights, we're gonna find a curious town run mostly by women, wich suddenly starts to be a target for misogynous attacks and vandalism. Our protagonist,a brave Jewish girl called Ani,stands for a investigation,Wich will uncover many of the city secrets and more shady stuff.
I've liked this book way much more than I've thought I would ! It's totally refreshing ! The author could have been more creepy or serious in some moments,but overall she has a powerful narrative voice and also is skilled in diverse ways of to sew funny scenes in the plot without it looks like it's just there to "enlighten mood". This books is totally a "you should try" for me. Plus,it's very quickly and fast passed !
Thank you netgalley!!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Raglan Books for the advanced reader's copy.

Y'all this book.

First and foremost, I really enjoyed the mystery of this book. I thought that the idea of a city founded by women and initially serving as a safe haven where women were independent and could be business owners was a strong backbone for a story that's essentially about feminism gone wrong. True feminism is about being inclusive and providing equal opportunity for all people. This whole plot really hinges on women who weaponize feminism to reduce other women and men. This is the part of the book I enjoyed and as YA book, it carries a good message for younger people.

The main issues I had were with Nick the main love interest is basically a piece of paper. A hot piece of paper with no words on it because he has no personality. The only thing I know is his parents are rich, he has a job, and he likes Dr. Who. There are no reasons why the two characters get together.

The other thing I didn't like was the relationship between Ev and Ani. Ev raised her and has been in her life since she was a baby, and yet there is no maternal relationship really until the end of the book. If there had been a single conversation about Ev not wanting to be a mom, but enjoying being in Ani's life, I may have found this more believable. The way it's written makes it seem like Ev is like anti being a mom or acting maternal because she's not her bio mom. Idk the whole thing was weird and messy.

Ani Abrams lives in the egalitarian town of Garden City. Garden City's founder, Anne Hutchinson, created it as a safe haven for women as well as a town that is supposed to be run by women and have women business owners. Ani doesn't necessarily care about that, she would rather swoon over cutie barista Nick Lake with her best friend Johnny. However, when Ani and Johnny attend the Founder's Day party at the Hutchinson's house, Ani discovers a strange set of red handprints and the following day, the defamation of Anne Hutchinson's statue is discovered, leading police right to Ani's door. Ani keeps showing up at the scene of the crime where the person being deemed the "Vag Vandal" has struck. When Ani is accused, she decides to investigate for herself. Ani finds out several dark secrets about her town and gets a few dates with Nick out of it as well.

Garden of Earthly Delights is an intriguing mystery set in a unique community. I was really intrigued by Garden City as a whole, how it was founded and what this meant for women in Garden City today. I wish there was a little more history included, although it wasn't necessary for the story. Ani's character was very much the typical teen and far from perfect in her decisions and thought process which made for an interesting investigation into the Vag Vandal. The mystery of the Vandal was definitely compelling, from what they vandalized, to how and why they seemed to be framing Ani. The writing creates a fast-paced story and increases the suspense with a series of strange events. I had an idea of who the vandal might be by the end, but was still surprised as everything came to light. Overall, Garden of Earthly Delights is a fun, young adult, mystery thriller that anyone can enjoy.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

A YA book involving secret societies and vandalism. I think it took a little too long to hook me into the story. It could've teased it a bit more earlier on to help the reader be intrigued.